Difference between revisions of "Mega-Tech System"

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(totally rewrote the whole article, correcting errors and adding additional info; fixed the Sonic links (those pages are about the Mega Play versions))
(enough games for a separate "list" page?)
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[[Image:MegaTech.jpg|thumb|right|160px|Sega Mega-Tech arcade machine.]]
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:''For the UK Magazine, see [[MegaTech]].''
The '''Mega-Tech''' was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in Europe in 1989 based on the [[Sega Mega Drive|Mega Drive]] home console hardware. Its design was similar to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen did not end the play session, and players could start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The unit featured eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play.
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{{ConsoleBob
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| logos=[[File:MegaTech logo.png|320px]]
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| consoleimage=MegaTech.jpg
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| imgwidth=150px
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| name=
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| maker=[[Sega]]
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| releases={{releases
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| arcade_date_jp=1989
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| arcade_date_eu=1989
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}}
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}}
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The '''Mega-Tech System''' was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in 1989. It was based on the [[Sega Mega Drive]] home console, and was designed similarly to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen does not end the play session, and players can start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The Mega-Tech was not released in North America, though did see use in Asia and the PAL regions.
  
The cabinet housed two monitors; the game itself ran on the bottom screen while the top screen displayed information including gameplay time remaining (which flashed green when time runs short), the list of games available, gameplay instructions, and a short synopsis of each game.
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The unit features eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play. The hardware was tweaked to disallow cheaper retail Mega Drive games to be played on the system, and likewise, Mega-Tech games will not run properly on a home Mega Drive console (and as the cartridges use the Japanese Mega Drive mould, they will not physically fit into western systems). The cabinet houses two monitors; the game itself rus on the bottom screen while the top screen displays information including gameplay time remaining (which flashes green when time runs short), the list of games available, gameplay instructions, and a short synopsis of each game.
  
The Mega-Tech launched with some of the best titles available at the time, including ''[[Thunder Force II]]'', ''[[Altered Beast]]'', ''[[Tetris]]'', ''[[Last Battle]]'', ''[[Space Harrier II]]'', and ''[[Golden Axe]]''. Other popular Mega Drive games became available as time passed, such as ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' and ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''. Eventually a few [[Master System]] games were ported, but the amount of games ported was small. Apart from providing additional data for the top screen the games were unchanged from the original releases, so cheats still worked and extra lives or continues could be collected during play.
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The Mega-Tech launched with some of the best titles available at the time, including ''[[Thunder Force II]]'', ''[[Altered Beast]]'', ''[[Tetris]]'', ''[[Last Battle]]'', ''[[Space Harrier II]]'', ''[[Golden Axe]]'' and ''[[The Revenge of Shinobi]]''. Other popular Mega Drive games became available as time passed, such as ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' and ''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''. Eventually a few [[Master System]] games were ported, but the amount of games ported was small. Apart from providing additional data for the top screen the games were unchanged from the original releases, so cheats still worked and extra lives or continues could be collected during play.
  
The Mega-Tech was succeeded by the [[Mega Play]], which reduced the game menu from eight to four titles and changed to a more standard system of credits buying lives or continues rather than time. Mega Play games were heavily modified due to this, with cheats and extra lives no longer being available.
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The Mega-Tech was succeeded by the [[Mega Play]], which reduced the game menu from eight to four titles and changed to a more standard system of credits buying lives or continues rather than time. Mega Play games were heavily modified due to this, with cheats and extra lives no longer being available. The Mega Play cabinet shares many features with the Mega-Tech one, and with some modifications a Mega-Tech cabinet can be converted to a Mega Play machine without too much trouble. Mega-Tech and Mega Play cartridges are not interchangeable.
  
 
==Hardware==
 
==Hardware==
[[Image:Megatech2.jpg|thumb|left|160px|Sega Mega-Tech hardware.]]
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The Mega-Tech hardware consists of what is essentially a Mega Drive modified to include a timer control for arcade operations. It lacks expansion hardware support and so cannot be connected to the [[32X]] and [[Mega CD]]. The board also features eight cartridge ports which take cartridges similar to those used in Japanese Mega Drive consoles. The Mega-Tech uses no-frills silver and red cartridges as unlike a home console, the user isn't meant to see them.
The Mega-Tech hardware is a Mega Drive modified to include a timer control for arcade operations. It lacks expansion hardware support and so cannot be connected to the [[32X]] and [[Mega CD]]. The board features eight cartridge ports. The games supplied used the Japanese cartridge design. The labels were silver and red and only had "Mega-Tech" printed on them. Standard Mega Drive games do not work with the Mega-Tech hardware, and its cartridges are not compatible with other Mega Drive designs due to the extra information on them stored to run the second monitor, and differences in the length of the edge connector, number of pins, pinouts, and spacing.
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{{-}}
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Though the cartridges are the same shape, standard Mega Drive games do not work with the Mega-Tech hardware, and likewise Mega-Tech cartridges are not compatible with home consoles due to the extra information stored on them for the second monitor. [[Tiertex]] released an adaptor allowing Mega Drive games to be run on Mega-Tech hardware. A prototype adaptor has also currently been made by Rob Scott with the same function.
==Games==
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With Mega-Tech cartridges, the top screen rom is piggybacked to the game rom, the latter often being exactly the same as that found with ordinary Mega Drive cartridges.
 +
 
 +
==List of games==
 
Games released for Mega-Tech hardware include:
 
Games released for Mega-Tech hardware include:
 +
{{multicol|
 
*''[[After Burner]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[After Burner]]'' (SMS)
*''[[Alien Storm]]''
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*''[[After Burner II]]''
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*''[[Alex Kidd in the Enchanted Castle]]''
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*''[[Alien Storm (Mega Drive)|Alien Storm]]''
 
*''[[Alien Syndrome]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Alien Syndrome]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Altered Beast]]''
 
*''[[Altered Beast]]''
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*''[[Arrow Flash]]''
 
*''[[Arrow Flash]]''
 
*''[[Astro Warrior]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Astro Warrior]]'' (SMS)
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*''[[Black Belt]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Bonanza Bros.]]''
 
*''[[Bonanza Bros.]]''
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*''[[California Games]]''
 
*''[[Columns]]''
 
*''[[Columns]]''
 
*''[[Crack Down]]''
 
*''[[Crack Down]]''
 
*''[[Cyber Police ESWAT: Enhanced Special Weapons and Tactics]]''
 
*''[[Cyber Police ESWAT: Enhanced Special Weapons and Tactics]]''
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*''[[Enduro Racer (Master System)|Enduro Racer]]'' (SMS)
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*''[[Fantasy Zone]]'' (SMS)
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*''[[Fantasy Zone II: The Tears of Opa-Opa]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Fire Shark]]''
 
*''[[Fire Shark]]''
 
*''[[Forgotten Worlds]]''
 
*''[[Forgotten Worlds]]''
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*''[[Michael Jackson's Moonwalker]]''
 
*''[[Michael Jackson's Moonwalker]]''
 
*''[[Mystic Defender]]''
 
*''[[Mystic Defender]]''
*''[[Out Run]]'' (SMS)
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*''[[OutRun]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Parlour Games]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Parlour Games]]'' (SMS)
*''[[Shadow Dancer]]''
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*''[[Power Strike II (Master System)|Power Strike II]]'' (SMS)
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*''[[The Revenge of Shinobi]]''
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*''[[Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi]]''
 
*''[[Shinobi]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[Shinobi]]'' (SMS)
 
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''
 
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]''
 
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''
 
*''[[sonic:Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (16-bit)|Sonic the Hedgehog 2]]''
 
*''[[Space Harrier II]]''
 
*''[[Space Harrier II]]''
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*''[[Spellcaster]]'' (SMS)
 +
*''[[Spider-Man]]''
 
*''[[Streets of Rage]]''
 
*''[[Streets of Rage]]''
 
*''[[Super Hang-On]]''
 
*''[[Super Hang-On]]''
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*''[[Super Thunder Blade]]''
 
*''[[Super Thunder Blade]]''
 
*''[[Tetris]]''
 
*''[[Tetris]]''
*''[[The Revenge of Shinobi]]''
 
 
*''[[Thunder Force II MD]]''
 
*''[[Thunder Force II MD]]''
 
*''[[Tommy Lasorda Baseball]]''
 
*''[[Tommy Lasorda Baseball]]''
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*''[[World Championship Soccer]]''
 
*''[[World Championship Soccer]]''
 
*''[[Wrestle War]]''
 
*''[[Wrestle War]]''
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|cols=3}}
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 +
==Magazine articles==
 +
{{mainArticle|{{PAGENAME}}/Magazine articles}}
 +
 +
==Photo gallery==
 +
<gallery>
 +
Megatech2.jpg|PCB
 +
ShadowDancer MegaTech Cart.jpg|A Mega-Tech cartridge (''[[Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi]]'')
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</gallery>
 +
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==Physical scans==
 +
{{ScanArcade
 +
| type=upright
 +
| region=UK
 +
| manual=MegaTechSystem UK Manual.pdf
 +
}}
 +
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==References==
 +
<references/>
  
 +
{{Sega Arcade Boards}}
 
{{MegaDrive}}
 
{{MegaDrive}}
  
[[Category:Mega Drive Hardware]]
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[[Category:Mega Drive hardware]]
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[[Category:Sega System series]]

Revision as of 19:44, 24 August 2017

For the UK Magazine, see MegaTech.
MegaTech.jpg
Mega-Tech System
Manufacturer: Sega
Release Date RRP Code

The Mega-Tech System was an arcade cabinet released by Sega in 1989. It was based on the Sega Mega Drive home console, and was designed similarly to Nintendo's PlayChoice-10: players chose games from a menu of eight titles, with credits buying more play time (usually 1 minute per credit) rather than extra lives or continues; reaching a game over screen does not end the play session, and players can start over or choose a different game as long as there was some play time remaining. The Mega-Tech was not released in North America, though did see use in Asia and the PAL regions.

The unit features eight internal cartridge slots, allowing the arcade operator to change what games were available to play. The hardware was tweaked to disallow cheaper retail Mega Drive games to be played on the system, and likewise, Mega-Tech games will not run properly on a home Mega Drive console (and as the cartridges use the Japanese Mega Drive mould, they will not physically fit into western systems). The cabinet houses two monitors; the game itself rus on the bottom screen while the top screen displays information including gameplay time remaining (which flashes green when time runs short), the list of games available, gameplay instructions, and a short synopsis of each game.

The Mega-Tech launched with some of the best titles available at the time, including Thunder Force II, Altered Beast, Tetris, Last Battle, Space Harrier II, Golden Axe and The Revenge of Shinobi. Other popular Mega Drive games became available as time passed, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Eventually a few Master System games were ported, but the amount of games ported was small. Apart from providing additional data for the top screen the games were unchanged from the original releases, so cheats still worked and extra lives or continues could be collected during play.

The Mega-Tech was succeeded by the Mega Play, which reduced the game menu from eight to four titles and changed to a more standard system of credits buying lives or continues rather than time. Mega Play games were heavily modified due to this, with cheats and extra lives no longer being available. The Mega Play cabinet shares many features with the Mega-Tech one, and with some modifications a Mega-Tech cabinet can be converted to a Mega Play machine without too much trouble. Mega-Tech and Mega Play cartridges are not interchangeable.

Hardware

The Mega-Tech hardware consists of what is essentially a Mega Drive modified to include a timer control for arcade operations. It lacks expansion hardware support and so cannot be connected to the 32X and Mega CD. The board also features eight cartridge ports which take cartridges similar to those used in Japanese Mega Drive consoles. The Mega-Tech uses no-frills silver and red cartridges as unlike a home console, the user isn't meant to see them.

Though the cartridges are the same shape, standard Mega Drive games do not work with the Mega-Tech hardware, and likewise Mega-Tech cartridges are not compatible with home consoles due to the extra information stored on them for the second monitor. Tiertex released an adaptor allowing Mega Drive games to be run on Mega-Tech hardware. A prototype adaptor has also currently been made by Rob Scott with the same function.

With Mega-Tech cartridges, the top screen rom is piggybacked to the game rom, the latter often being exactly the same as that found with ordinary Mega Drive cartridges.

List of games

Games released for Mega-Tech hardware include:

Magazine articles

Main article: Mega-Tech System/Magazine articles.

Photo gallery

Physical scans

UK
MegaTechSystem UK Manual.pdf
Manual

References


Sega arcade boards
Originating in arcades









Console-based hardware








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